


// Hurricane //

by daydreamichael



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bottom Michael, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Punk Luke, Punk Michael, Recreational Drug Use, Top Luke, a lot more will happen later on, idk if i actually want calum/ashton so it might not happen, if anything it'll happen later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-11 12:24:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4435376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamichael/pseuds/daydreamichael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Hemmings. Notorious for his self destructive habits, his stellar beauty, and his (not so clean) reputation. Michael Clifford. New kid on the block, kind of punk, but he's never good enough. When the two of them collide, they leave a wake of destruction worse than a hurricane. Unfortunately, neither of them end up unharmed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. || Captivated ||

 

 

**Prologue**

It was Michael's first party in this new city. He's not exactly fond of parties, but his good mate Ashton practically forced him to go. It's not as though Michael had a choice either; Ashton was his first friend here, and the only friend that wasn't many miles away. Ashton doesn't seem like the type of guy to ditch someone for saying no to him, but Michael knew this party was a good place to meet everyone from the new school he's to attend. Plus, they'll all be either baked or drunk, so if he did make a fool of himself everyone would most likely forget about it. It's not like anyone knows him yet either.

He ran his fingers through his hair, recently dyed bright red, in an attempt to make it look half-assed yet still good. He'd managed to find a tank top that didn't smell like ass and some decent black skinny jeans, making a mental note to do laundry as soon as possible. Ashton was supposed to get here ten minutes ago, but considering Michael was still fixing himself up he's thankful that Ashton isn't punctual. Five minutes passed and Ashton still hadn't arrived, so Michael decided to chill on the couch until showed up. He put his headphones in his ears and blasted some Offspring song playing on Spotify.

Ashton showed up about four songs later and gave Michael a sheepish smile. "Sorry mate, took me forever to get some gas. You'd be surprised how busy it is at 9 at night."

"It's fine, I wasn't exactly ready anyways." Michael responded, giving Ashton a small smile back. He still felt slightly awkward talking to Ashton. Sure, they've been talking online for the past few months, courtesy of his mothers' connections, but it's different in person. It almost doesn't feel real. He's so used to reading a response that it sounds weird to hear Ashton's voice.

"You ready then?" Ashton asked, snapping Michael out of his trance. He muttered a small 'yeah' and follows Ashton out to his car. The first few minutes of the drive was silent and awkward, neither knowing what to say at first. Michael felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders when Ashton asked him if he wanted to listen to 'Green Day or something'. The tension that used to hang thick in the air dissipated as they both belted out the lyrics to Green Day's 'American Idiot' CD, and Michael was surprised at how much he was enjoying himself.

They could hear the music blaring from a few houses down the road as Ashton parked the car. The party seemed pretty popular, considering the whole block was lined with cars. The houses along the street were much larger than Michael's regular one-story house on the other side of town, and the yards seemed so large he couldn't imagine what anyone would need a yard that large for. But when he saw the party, he realized _that_ was what a large yard was used for.

The house was a fairly tall two-story, with a yard probably twice as large as Michael's own house. Many people were packed into the dimly lit house, and Michael wanted to cringe at how loud the shitty pop music was being blasted. Drunk people swayed to the beat in the large living room, others downed shots in the kitchen, and even more people were clustered outside. It didn't take Michael long to realize that everyone was plastered. Hell, he just got here maybe five minutes ago and Ashton was already walking up behind him with a half drunk beer bottle in his hand.

"Hey mate! Wanna grab something to drink? You look a bit on edge." Ashton shouted into Michael's ear. Michael noted that Ashton seemed like the type of person to easily read someone, considering Michael thought that he'd hidden his worries deep inside of him. "You've nothing to worry about - it's a party! Stick by me, I'll introduce you to a few people. C'mon."

Without letting Michael get a word in response, Ashton grabbed his arm and dragged him from the back patio into the kitchen. Michael stayed silent for a while as Ashton chatted up a few good looking lads, taking an occasional sip of a beer Ashton had given to him once they got inside. He decided to take a quick look around, survey the people he'd get to spend his next school year with. As much as Michael disliked being a wallflower, he certainly knew how to use it to his advantage. He spotted a few people he thought best to avoid - the ones doing lines of coke off a table in what looked like the dining room - as well as a bunch of guys who honestly looked like predators. Michael's stomach knotted slightly as he noticed a few of the guys eyeing this black-haired girl like she was a slab of meat. As much as Michael wished he could go to her aid if the group of boys decided to attack, he knew he wouldn't be strong enough to face the whole group of them.

From the corner of his eye Michael spotted an intriguing figure leaning against a wall. He turned his head slightly to get a better look at the person, and was met with an icy stare. The boy was tall, blonde, and undeniably hot. He was dressed similar to Michael, some band shirt he couldn't make out and black skinny jeans, but Michael noticed that the boy had his lip pierced and also sported a rather cool-looking leather jacket. There was something odd about the boys' stare; it wasn't hostile, yet it seemed cold. It was though the boy was trying to read Michael without letting Michael get a read on him back.

The connection didn't last long as Ashton's hand gently gripped Michael's shoulder, causing Michael to tear his gaze away from those intriguing eyes. He turned his head to face Ashton, but was confused to find Ashton glaring at the boy he was just looking at. His stomach felt slightly uneasy at this strange occurrence, though he blamed it mostly on the alcohol. When Michael looked back towards the guy on the wall, he was surprised to find that the boy had left. Something inside Michael was intrigued by him, and he felt a strange desire to go look for whoever it was.

"Don't go near him." Ashton warned, as if sensing Michael's thoughts. His voice sounded wary, as if unsure of his own words.

"Why?" Michael asked. It was a stupid question, though. If a mysterious figure eyes you at a party and your friend warns you not to go near him, then obviously there had to be a good reason. Nevertheless, Michael always disregarded logic, and with the alcohol in his system he was prone to making even worse decisions.

"Just... don't, alright? He's trouble. Has been since he first got here. If you get caught up with him, it's not going to end well." Ashton muttered, his words slightly bitter. Something inside Michael wondered if Ashton said that based on personal experience. But it wasn't Michael's place to ask, so he bit his tongue.

"Alright then." He sighed. As much as he wanted to let his curiosity get the best of him, he knew he couldn't afford to let it. If he did something to upset Ashton, he could find himself alone at this new school - and that's something Michael couldn't afford to go through. Not again.

The night passed by in a slight blur. Michael had at least two more beers and this weird, red jelly substance that tasted slightly of bitter cherry. By now, he was well past intoxicated, yet not exactly hammered. If anything, he was glad that he was slightly drunk. It gave him a bit more courage than before, which allowed him to become a bit more sociable. Michael had yet to hit the dance floor, which didn't go unnoticed by Ashton. Soon enough, the curly-haired lad was dragging Michael to the dance floor. Michael wanted to protest, but opted to just go with the flow instead. Which is how Michael ended up in the middle of a mass of sweaty bodies, grinding on Ashton.

Michael knows Ashton is openly bisexual, and considering Michael is completely gay he had no objections to grinding with a cute boy. According to Ashton, the school didn't really have a problem with LGBTQ+ members, which was a relief to Michael. He'd been in the closet for the past two schools he went to, and to finally find a school that was mostly okay with it seemed like heaven. Not to mention Michael had spotted many, many cute boys at the party tonight. He honestly wouldn't mind taking one upstairs. If anything, he was secretly hoping for it.

But the only thing Michael could focus on now was moving his hips to the beat of the music and Ashton's firm grip on his waist. Michael could feel Ashton's semi through his jeans, but wasn't grossed out in the slightest. Part of him considered taking Ashton upstairs, yet he knew it would end up a wreck in the morning. So he just continued to dance with Ashton, getting slightly more into it with each passing song. After a while Ashton stopped dancing, muttering something in Michael's ear about needing a drink. Michael gave some sort of response, but continued to dance alone, not wanting to leave the dance floor.

It wasn't long until someone came up behind Michael and started to grind on him. As much as Michael wanted to turn his head to look at whoever was dancing with him, he thought something along the lines of 'fuck it' and continued to dance with the stranger. After a minute or so of grinding with the person, whom Michael assumed was a guy, Michael felt the guy's hands begin to wander underneath his shirt and stroke his hips lightly. He felt the guy's face come close to his own, his lips dragging down the side of Michael's ear slowly.

"I saw you earlier. Alone, before Irwin found you." The guy whispered, his lips ghosting over Michael's ear with every word. It made Michael shiver in a good way, as if anticipating something. "You're so incredibly hot. I really can't help myself."

"Help yourself all you'd like." Michael said back, his breath hitching in his throat. Mystery boy's hand had trailed down to stroke the inside of Michael's thigh, getting Michael even more aroused than he was before. All of the warnings Ashton had drilled into his brain seemed to fade away, replaced by the lust Michael needed to satisfy.

They continued to dance for a little while longer, the strange boy moving his mouth to leave ghostly kisses along Michael's jaw and neck. When the boy started to nip Michael, Michael knew he needed this boy immediately. He let out a quiet moan and muttered out a horse 'bedroom' to the boy. The stranger complied immediately, grabbing Michael's hand and dragging him up the stairs. They entered a room at the end of the hall that was, thankfully, void of people. The boy locked the door behind them and proceeded to take off his shirt while Michael took his own off.

He pushed Michael backwards onto the bed, climbing on top of him and resting his hips against Michael. Slowly, he ground his crotch against Michael's, eliciting a moan from the red haired boy. He continued this at a steady pace, practically dominating Michael as he left little marks down Michael's neck. His hands wandered over Michael's body; it was soft and slightly squishy, but he absolutely adored every part of it. Michael's hands did the same to him, lightly scratching his nails down the boys toned stomach. Michael moaned softly, yet was slightly troubled by something.

"Hey." He said, slightly out of breath. The boy stopped grinding on Michael for a moment, giving him a questioning look. "I, uh, I don't know your name."

"I'm Luke." Luke said, letting out a slight laugh. "And your name is...?"

"Michael." Michael replied, stifling a moan as Luke started grinding his hips down on Michael once more.

"Well Michael," Luke whispered, pressing his body against Michael's. He let his hand wander down to Michael's pants, undoing them agonizingly slow. "I can't wait to hear you scream my name."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is my first kind of fanfic?? I don't usually write fanfics like this and I honestly have no idea where I'm going to go with this. It's based off of the song Hurricane by Halsey. Feedback would be appreciated! xx
> 
> Also, if you could vote for me [here](http://www.933flz.com/pages/contest/5sos/?m7) I'd be forever in your debt tbh, you can vote once daily so if you feel like helping a poor smol bean out I'd love you for eternity!!


	2. || Bad Decisions ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god. This update is way overdue. I've had no motivation lately. All I can say is sorry. Hope ya'll enjoy. (A majority of this was written at like 2AM sorry)

Michael woke up the following morning with an ache in his head and in a stranger's bed. His mind was slightly fuzzy, yet his memories were crystal clear. He had sex last night, very good sex, with a hot blonde guy he just met. It was passionate, rough, filled with lust. Though he struggled to recall the boy's name, he knew he'd never forget that face. Michael sat up in the bed, looking over towards where his one-night stand was, only to find him gone. There's no note, no phone number, absolutely nothing.

"Of course..." Michael muttered to himself. Unfortunately, this is a common experience for him, so he knew he shouldn't have counted on the boy keeping in contact with him. But a part of him wanted the boy back. There was something alluring about him, something that drew Michael in.

Michael got up slowly, wincing slightly at the pain in his bum. He lazily stumbled around the room, gathering all of his clothes together before struggling to put them on. His head pounded, but by now he was so used to hangovers that the pain barely registered. As soon as he was dressed he trudged over to a mirror to get a good look at himself. If he looks as bad as he feels, then someone might think of him to be in need of medical assistance. Thankfully, the bags under Michael's eyes weren't as heavy as they feel, and although his hair screamed 'sex' all he had to do was run his fingers through it to make it halfway decent. He looked around the room for a little while, searching for a pair of sunglasses to shield eyes from the sunlight. Unfortunately, this looked like a guest room of some sort, and there wasn't a pair of sunglasses in any of the drawers. He picked up his phone from the floor to find he had a slew of text messages - all from Ashton.

"Hey m8, where'd ya disappear to?" - Sent at 10:41PM

"Michael answer your phone, it's getting late." - Sent at 12:47AM

"Dude I need to leave really soon. I can't find you anywhere pick up your damn phone" - Sent at 1:22AM

"... if this is about the dance floor earlier I'm sorry..." - Sent at 1:25AM

"Look m8, it's way too late, you're gonna have to find your own ride home. Just be safe ok? Call me" - Sent at 2:03AM

Michael let out a small sigh when he realized he fucked up. Ashton must hate him now, considering he's been quite the hassle. If Michael didn't already hate himself, he'd surely hate himself after this stunt. He had no choice but to call Ashton though, considering his house was all the way across town and he needed a ride. He just thanked God that his mum was off on a business trip for a couple more days. He couldn't afford to soil the good reputation he had with his mother, even if it was built of lies and sneaking around. She's the only left who truly believed in him, anyways.

His finger ghosted over the call symbol on Ashton's contact as he reluctantly obeyed Ashton's text. He held the phone out slightly away from his ear, the ringing sound making his headache nearly ten times worse. After what seemed like an eternity of ringing, Ashton picked up the phone.

"Okay, I so want to yell at you right now, but my hangover is killing me." Ashton muttered quietly into the phone. "Where'd you run off to? And you're home now, right?"

"About that..." Michael started, hesitating a bit. "I'm kinda still at the house. Where the party was at. I got a bit too wasted and, well, long story short I need a ride."

"Michael fucking Clifford." Ashton groaned, actually sounding angry. Michael was scared that Ashton was going to chew him out and make him find another way home. "You're so lucky I consider you a good friend. I'll be there in ten. Does Calum even know you're still there?"

"Who's Calum?" Michael asked. He'd never been introduced to this Calum guy, but he assumed that Calum was the guy who owned the house.

"He's really tan, brown hair with a blonde streak, pretty hot if you ask me." Ashton replied. "He lives at that house too.... shit!"

"What?" Michael said, slightly worried at Ashton's sudden outburst.

"Just... just stay where you are, alright? Don't leave that room." Ashton commanded, sounding like he was in a rush. Before Michael could even ask him why, he was cut off by Ashton. "Don't ask why, I'll explain later. What room are you in now?"

"Uhh... I'm upstairs in what looks like a guest bedroom. White walls, minimal furniture, queen sized bed with white bedsheets." Michael said, cursing himself for not being very good at paying attention to detail. "I think the room at the end of the hallway..."

"Crap." Ashton muttered. "Don't leave that room. You're not in danger or anything, but I don't think Calum knows you're there and... and I don't want you to run into trouble. When I get there I'll just tell Calum that I left you passed out upstairs and came back for you, alright?"

"Jeez, how uptight is this Calum guy?" Michael joked, letting out a small laugh. He instantly regretted that action when his head throbbed in pain.

"It's not him I'm worried about..." Ashton seemingly said to himself, Michael barely being able to make out that sentence through the phone. "I'm driving now, and I'm hungover, so I'll call you when I pull up. Just... pretend you're still passed out on the bed. I'll be there soon."

And with that, Ashton hung up. Michael wanted to ask him more questions, more specifically about who he should be worried about in the house, but opted to obey Ashton's orders. He flopped face first down onto the bed, closing his heavy eyes and relishing in the silence. All he wanted to really do was stay in bed all day. That's all he seemed to want to do every day.

It's empty silences like this when Michael tends to reflect upon himself. Mainly it's all the reasons why he's such a fuck up, because there are certainly a lot. So that's what he does in this moment; he counts the reasons in his head why he's a twat and deserves all the bad karma that he knows will get thrown back at him. He starts off with the one-night stand, which spirals off into him mentally beating himself up for losing track of how many one-night stands he's had, which then relates back to all the bad decisions he's made at parties, all the enemies he created, friendships lost, people he's come between. He thinks of himself like a hurricane. He leaves some sort of mess wherever he goes and more often than not someone else always has to clean up after him or get injured in his wake. In his mind, he's like the scum of the earth.

Michael doesn't know how long he lies in that white room, but it's long enough to make himself feel like he's dirtying up the place. It's as though he's staining the room with his presence, tainting everything that seemed pure. He's the sinfully red wine that would be spilled upon a pearly white carpet. He's 'just one more shot'; bad decisions at 2AM; the alcohol that clouds your mind, yet you can't ever get enough. If someone were to create him, they might as well pull out a pitcher of the 7 deadly sins and pour the whole damn thing into the mix.

And suddenly, Michael needs out. He can't stay in the room any longer. If he has to endure his own mind for the next five seconds he's going to go insane. So he forgets Ashton's warning, quickly opens the door, and bolts into the hallway. Michael's lungs begin to fail him as he leans against the wall. His legs feel like jelly and he can't support his own weight anymore, so he slumps onto his knees. The world is dizzy and his head is spiraling out of control. Michael doesn't know what's wrong with him, but he feels like he's about to die. His breathing is erratic and shallow, and there's nothing that seems to be able to stop it.

"Woah man are you okay?" A voice calls out to him. Although Michael can see the guy's feet from where he's crouched over, the voice sounds about 20 feet away. "Hey I need you to look at me okay? Hey look at me. Breathe. Breathe with me."

Michael looked up at the guy, not caring who he was or that he just caught Michael is some strangers' house. The guy started to breathe in deeply, looking Michael dead in the eye and nodding at him encouragingly. Michael desperately tried to match his own breathing with the strangers' and despite the massive struggle it was within a few minutes he was able to take in a few deep, ragged breaths. Now being able to coherently think about something other than dying, Michael took in a good look at the guy who helped him. He seemed tall, pretty tan, had beautiful brown eyes and brown hair with a part of it dyed blond.

"Okay, now that you seem better I'm gonna introduce myself." The boy said slowly, testing to see if Michael could understand him. "My name's Calum Hood. This is my house. Mind if I ask who you are and why you're in here?"

"Oh crap right." Michael started. _I'm so dead right now..._ "I, uh, I'm Michael Clifford. I was at your party last night and, um, I must've passed out upstairs. Sorry about that. Don't worry, I was just leaving. My mate's gonna pick me up in a few." _  
_

Thankfully, Calum didn't seem bothered by it at all. "Don't sweat it, people crash here all the time. I met my best mate after he crashed at my first party, actually. It's fine... but are you okay? That was one hell of a spell you were in..."

"I... I don't know what that was but it's fine. It's happened before, I'm getting used to it." Michael tried to brush the incident like dust off his shoulders. He technically wasn't lying, this has happened to him before, but he definitely will not get used to it. "I'll just go wait outside then..."

"You sure you wanna wait outside? I mean, my friend is over at the moment but I think you two would hit it off well. Plus you're technically a party guest of mine and you looked like death a few minutes ago. It's the least I can do." Calum insisted. He didn't seem to be that bad of a guy, and Michael found himself wondering why Ashton was all worried about him on the phone to begin with.

"Uhm, are you sure it's okay? I don't want to be a bother..." Michael found himself saying.  _Dammit Michael, stop saying you're a bother to people who're trying to be nice to you._

"Nah mate it's fine, you seem like a nice guy." Calum exclaimed. "I mean, you'd be surprised how many assholes I end up meeting the mornings after my parties. I'm just glad you're one of the decent few."

As they made their way down the hall and began to descend the staircase, a loud voice echoed throughout the house. "Oi! Calum! What's taking ya so long?"

"Sorry, that's the friend I was talking about." Calum explained as they made their way downstairs. "Hey, it just crossed my mind, but I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Your friend seems very peachy this morning." Michael said in amusement. "And yeah, I just moved here recently. I'm attending Standley High next week when school starts."

"Oh hey, my friend and I go there!" Calum beamed with excitement. "We don't get new students here often, it's nice to see someone I haven't known for the past ten years of my life."

Before Michael could respond, his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He muttered a quiet 'one sec' to Calum as he fished for his phone in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hello?" Michael answered.

"Hey Michael, you're still in the room right?" Ashton asked. "Please tell me you didn't leave the room."

"Uh, I'm on the staircase and I met Calum." Michael responded slowly, afraid of what Ashton would say next.

" _Just_ Calum?" Ashton pushed. He seemed to be making quite the fuss over this... whatever was bothering him. It made Michael itch for answers.

"Yea, just Calum." Michael warily responded. "Hey where are you right now?"

"I just pulled up. Come meet me outside, I've got painkillers, sunglasses, and coffee waiting for you in the car." Ashton said, sounding somewhat relieved.

"Okay, be right there." Michael sighed, hanging up the phone. He turned to Calum to explain himself. "Hey sorry but my ride is outside already. Maybe we can catch up some other time, yeah?"

"Oh yeah sure." Calum responded, giving a small shrug. Michael thought he saw a twinge of disappointment cross the boy's face for a moment. "Feel better. Oh and you're invited to my next party, whenever that is, okay? I wanna see ya there."

"Yeah, I'll be there." Michael replied, shooting him a slight smile.  _Hey, maybe whoever it was I hooked up with will be there too..._

Michael gave Calum a final wave goodbye before exiting the front door. The sunlight hit him hard and he found himself having to shield his sensitive eyes from the bright light. He made his way slowly to Ashton's car that rumbled in the street, still slightly disoriented. Once he reached the car and got inside, Ashton silently handed him a pair of sunglasses and a few tablets Michael recognized as strong painkillers. He immediately put the sunglasses on his eyes and took the painkillers, swallowing them down with some coffee. Michael found himself wondering how on Earth he was lucky enough to befriend such an amazing person.


	3. || Dangerous ||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( Mild talk of drug abuse in this chapter, nothing too in detail. ))
> 
> I'm currently finishing this chapter in my car at 11PM after seeing 5sos perform at Vevo Certified Live. If there's any mistakes I'm sorry but I'm tired af and it's been too long since I posted a chapter.

Calum walked over through the entranceway of his house, and into the living room. He rolled his eyes when he saw his lazy blonde friend wrapped up in a blanket on his sofa sipping on a cup of hot coffee. Fortunately for him Calum was there to aid to his hangover, which had become a typical thing. He'd get drunk, probably hook up with someone, crash at like 3AM when everyone leaves and then have Calum nurse his hangover in the morning. Of course Calum drank at his parties too, but he prefers to remember everything the night after. Usually.

"Sorry it took so long, I found someone who crashed here upstairs and kinda had to help him. Looked like he was having a panic attack or something." Calum explained as he handed over the painkillers. "Although I must say, you're a lot less hungover than usual. Who are you and what have you done with Luke?"

"I wanted to remember at least part of last night." Luke joked as he downed his painkillers with coffee.

"Who'd you hook up with this time?" Calum sighed. As much as he loved Luke, he didn't exactly approve of his constant hookups. He's known Luke ever since his freshman year of high school, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the Luke he was back then.

Sometime during the middle of Calum's freshman year, he hosted his first house party. It was supposed to be something small, not too loud, with around 20 people or so. But word spreads fast in Standley High and if there's alcohol at a party you can guarantee there will be more than a few uninvited guests showing up. Luke was one of those uninvited guests, but Calum didn't mind him being there. In fact, the boy practically clung to the wall the entire time. He was a shy little thing back then, which was exactly why Calum approached him during the party. He seemed nice.

But people change. Luke ended up being drawn into the wrong crowd during the summer before their sophomore year. Calum doesn't know much on the subject, but he knows enough and honestly doesn't want to know more. These people Luke used to call his 'friends' talked him into smoking and snorting cocaine; and Luke, poor Luke, so desperate for attention continued to abuse those substances whenever they were available to him. Calum knew Luke didn't have the best home life. Both his mother and father worked late and he didn't see them often, not to mention they seemed to favor his older brothers. As far as Calum knows, Luke did it as a cry for attention, hoping someone would take notice and care about him.

That's only part of the truth. A small part at that. Luke had his reasons for doing what he did, although he now admits that most of them were stupid. He can never bring himself to tell Calum the whole truth, though. He's tried; he's truly tried but every time the words get caught in his throat and choke him. So Luke swallows his words instead of his pride and lets Calum believe what he wants him to believe. Luke isn't lying when he says he's done with drugs for good as well. Besides, he much prefers drunken hookups over snorting cocaine in someone's musty basement any day.

"Just some guy." Luke shrugs, playing it cool like usual. If he was an honest person, he'd probably say it was one of the best hookups he's has in months. But he's not honest so he keeps it to himself. "He was really hot though."

"Really?" Calum asks, slightly surprised that Luke said something about the guy. Usually Luke doesn't give Calum any insight as to who he hooks up with, to get even that minor description of the guy was amazing. "What'd he look like?"

"He's different." Luke vaguely replied. "Never seen someone like him before. Must've been from another school."

"Thanks Luke, that totally helps me picture him." Calum snorts, rolling his eyes. He loves Luke but he can't stand how Luke never tells him anything about the boys he shags. It's not like Calum is homophobic either, considering he's bisexual himself. He definitely wants to hear about these hookups, but there's always something off about Luke whenever he brings the topic up. Calum can't quite put his finger on it, but he definitely knows Luke hides something more than the guys' identity each time.

"Fine." Luke says, surprising Calum. "Really tall, really hot, dyed red hair. I think his eyes were green? I can't remember his name, but he sure does know how to suck dick."

"Wait..." Calum starts, the description ringing a bell in his head. "Does the name Michael sound familiar? Because I just so happened to run into a guy upstairs with that exact description."

"Yeah... yeah I think his name was Michael. Actually yeah, it was!" Luke mused, giving Calum an amuse smile. "Do you know him?"

"I talked with him briefly. He's new to the city, seems like a nice lad. He's going to Standley High with us too." Calum said, giving a warning glance at Luke. "What do plan on doing to him?"

"Oh, nothing. Just curious." Luke nonchalantly said. A feeling in Calum's gut made him think otherwise, but then again he's probably wrong. Luke rarely hooks up with the same person more than once, or so Luke tells him, so the idea that Luke could want to return to Michael for seconds doesn't seem like a plausible idea.

"By the way," Luke continues, "you might want to wash the sheets in the guest bedroom upstairs. Things got pretty wild up there."

"If anything is permanently stained you're replacing it." Calum grumbles as he heads upstairs to wash the sheets, leaving an amused Luke alone on the couch to nurse his own hangover.

\-------

"Michael, I told you not to leave the room." Ashton said, his grip on the steering wheel getting tighter and just then Michael noticed how upset Ashton looked.

"Until you tell me what's so fucking wrong about being there I'll do what I want." Michael retorted. He immediately regretted being rude though, since Ashton had been so kind as to not only pick him up but also get him everything he needed to nurse his hangover.

"Look I... I'll just tell you when school starts. It'll be easier to show you then." Ashton sighed, his look of annoyance turning into that of tiredness. It was then when Michael noticed the bags under Ashton's eyes and how drained he looked.

"Thanks for picking me up..." Michael said in a small voice, like he was almost afraid to say it.

"It's fine." Ashton replied. "But before I take you home I want to know what happened to you. You had me worried that you left with someone else, or something had happened to you."

Michael was about to interject when Ashton continued, "And you don't even know what this school is even like! There are some bad people here, Michael, bad people you really shouldn't get involved with. You'll practically ruin your life if you mix with them, and they're  _always_ there at Calum's parties! Thank god Calum isn't one of them, he's actually a decent person, but it's his friends you need to watch out for. They'll break you, Michael."

Ashton's voice cracked at the end, as though he was in pain. Michael realized that Ashton wasn't talking out of jealousy or hatred but out of experience, and a bad one at that. He wondered what kinds of things Ashton had gotten mixed up in, and how much of a toll it took on him. It certainly must've done a large amount of damage considering the way Ashton talks, like he's far beyond his years. Michael had always though that Ashton spoke wise words out of a big ego, but looking at Ashton's defeated expression he knew he was wrong. He was actually scared to go to Calum's future party now, because he knows he never makes the right decisions - especially when he's drunk.

"On that note..." Ashton sighed, "Where exactly did you run off to??"

"I, uh..." Michael stalled. He couldn't exactly remember the events from last night either, although he had remembers enough to know it was one of the best hookups he's ever had. It's not like he could describe much either, it was pretty dark and his vision was impaired. But the face of his one-night stand was still clear in his mind. "I was dragged upstairs. Hooked up with some guy."

Ashton looked like he wanted to say something further on the matter, but thankfully he didn't push anything. The car ride continued in silence; neither one of them had the energy to make conversation and if they were honest they preferred the silence. Michael's head was still throbbing slightly, and his body ached incredibly. Whoever he hooked up with must've been a real animal, because he can't ever recall a time where his ass was this sore. Ashton didn't look too peachy either. He seemed slightly annoyed, and slightly in pain as well. Michael knew Ashton's hungover, but it seems as though he's reopened a fresh would and he can't help but blame himself for that.

When Ashton pulled up to Michael's house, Michael was more than reluctant to leave the car. He wanted to continue to talk to Ashton, he wanted to dig deeper into the subject they abandoned in the car. If something had hurt Ashton this terribly, then Michael needed to know what, or who, to avoid. He knows he can't take any more pain than he already has, all he wants to do is protect himself. But Ashton's sad, broken face is what held Michael back from bringing the subject up again. 

Michael mutters a faint goodbye and offers Ashton a wave. Ashton replied with a 'see you later' and a small wave before driving off down the street, leaving Michael standing on the sidewalk alone. He really didn't want to go inside. The only thing that would greet him is empty silence and a few heaps of unpacked boxes. Of course, this is the usual for Michael, but Michael's grown tired of being alone. He needs to be seen, recognized, noticed; his new craving for attention is starting to get the best of him. He might just let it consume him entirely.


End file.
